What is a wild plum?

wild plum or prunus americana is known as American plum and is indigenous for North America. These deciduous trees grow wild in the middle and eastern parts of the United States. They produce sweet fruit that both wild game and people enjoy. Wild plum can be grown either as a shrub with many trunks or as a tree with a single trunk. When it is left to grow wildly, American plum often forms thickets with thorns up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. Wild plum is also ornamental, which can provide an attractive privacy screen during warmer months. White flowers clusters appear at the beginning of spring, followed by red or yellow fruit. In autumn, the leaves are yellow or red and after the fall of the leaves you can see the attractive reddish -brown color of the branches.

wild plum can grow up to 25 feet (7.6 m) high with 20 feet (6 m). In the form of a shrub they are shorter and reach a height of no more than 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m). Their leaves are 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 cm) long and shinyGreen above with hairy lower sides. Wild plums are durable and can be found growing along the roads and banks of the river, in forests, abandoned pastures and prairies. Its fruit is much smaller than plums commonly observed in food stores, generally reaching a diameter of approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm).

wild plums are easily grown from seeds. They tolerate dry conditions and require small or no maintenance to be successful and spread in growing in their native environment. The shrub provides the cover of birds and other wild animals and is food for many animals including deer, squirrels, bears, raccoon and birds. Its small, sweet plums make tasty jams and jelly.

Despite its edible fruit and use as an ornamental, wild plum can be a challenge for a gardener who grows it in a small yard. It can be invasive and must be cut and regularly cut in the limited space. Wild plum can hatch suction cups up to 25 feet (7.6 m) from maternityplants and can form thorny thickets in a short time. With proper maintenance, however, wild plum can be an attractive plant for the landscape and a reliable source of delicious fruit.